Revolving fire-arm



3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

' A, SWINGLB.

Revolving Fire-Arm. No. 224,742. Patented Feb. 17, 18,80.

- Gis a view of the piston pr plunger. Fig. 7

UNITED .STATES ALFRED SWINGLE, OF SAN PATENT OFFICE.

FRAN OISOO, CALIFORNIA.

REVOLVING FIRE-ARM.

SPECIFICATION forming .part of Letters Patent No. 224,742, dated February 17, 1880.

i Application filed July 17, 1879.

To. ail whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALFRED SWINGLE, of the city and county of San Francisco, and State of California, have invented an Improvement in Breech-Loading and Repeating Fire-Arms 5 and I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being made to the accompanying drawings.

` My invention relates to an improvement in fire-arms or guns of that class known as revolving breech-loaders and it consists in certain details of construction, as hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

Referring to the accompanying drawings for a more complete explanation of myinvention, Figure lis an exterior view of' the gun. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section, showing the lever thrown down. Fig. 4 is a detached v iew of the block which locks the plunger in place. Fig. 5 is a View of the magazine and frame or case. Fig.

shows the ratchet-feed.

A'is the barrel oi' my gun. B is the frame which receives the operating mechanism, and to which, when used as asmall-arm, the stock is secured. Between this frame and the rear end of the barrel is a cylindrical case, O,formed with orattached to the frame, and having the barrelscrewed into its front end. This case is made of a size sufficient to receive the magazine D, which is chambered to receive as many cartridges as may be desired. In the present case I have shown it as fitted to receive six, and it is mounted upon a central longitudinal pin, E, so that when rotated each of the chambers may be brought successively into line with the barrel.

A groove is formed around the inner rear end of the oase, into which the rims or flanges of the cartridges pass, and this groove prevents them from rattling in the magazine. It also enables me to use a cartridgeA shorter than the magazine, as the groove keeps them in place.

The cartridges are introduced into the magazine through an opening, F, at the rear of the case and at one side, this opening being protected by a guard, G, which will be pushed to one side by the entering cartridge, and will be closed again by the action of a spring, H.

The case O may have a longitudinal opening, I, at the lower part, which will allow the discharged shells to fall out when the chambers containing them reach that point; but any shell which contains a bullet cannot be taken out though this opening. Inlieu of this method I have formed an opening in the front ot' the case,just in line with the chargingopening F, so that whenever a shell is introduced through this opening the one already in the magazine will be forced out.

Each cartridge in the magazine, as it reaches a position inline with the barrel, is forced into the chamber of the barrel by a plunger, J, which is caused to reciprocate in line with the barrel by mechanism to be more fully described hereinafter. This plunger has two steel hooks, K, attached to its front end, top, and bottom, to serve as an extractor, and when the plunger is drawn 'nach it will be seen that the rotation of the magazine will carry the iiange of each shell into a position between these hooks and the head of the plunger. When this plunger is forced forward it carries the cartridge into the chamber of the barrel, and when it is drawn back it brings the shell with it, so that it again lies in the magazine ready to be carried around to the point of discharge by the rotation of the magazine. The case is slotted on the top to allow the interior to be inspected, and the upper hook, K, closes the slot by moving into it when the plunger is thrown forward.

The ring bolt or piu L passes directly through the plunger and extends back, so that when the plunger is drawn back the rearend of the pin will act upon the hammer and throw it back to full-cock.

The movement ot' the plunger is produced by the action of the guard-lever M, which moves about a fulcrum-pin, N, and has an arm, O, which extends into the chamber ofv the frame B, having a pin, P, upon its upper end. A plate, Q, extends back from the rear end of the plunger, and this plate has the slot R formed in it, within which the pin I) works.

It will thus be seen that when the guardlever is thrown down its inner end acts to draw the plunger back, and when the lever is again brought to place the plunger is forced forward.

The slot R has parallel sides in the upper IOO ffl

'drawn down to place.

part, which diverge at the bottom to allow the pin P to pass out at each end of the movement of the guard-lever, so that the other move ments may be completed after the plunger has reached the end of its stroke in either directlon.

The rotation of the magazine is effected by a ratchet, S, which is secured to the rear end of its shaft or axis E, and is provided with as many lugs or teeth as there may be chambers to the magazine.

A lever, T, has its fulcrum at U, and the front end of the leveris Yin the form of afilatV spring, the side of which presses against the tlat part of the ratchet between each pair of teeth as they arrive at that point, and the magazine is thus steadied and held tirmly after each rotation until the plunger enters it.

The rear end of this lever is bent downward, a-nd has a peculiarly-shaped cam or lug. V, upon it. A pin, W, upon the side of the arm O of the guard-lever acts upon this lug when the guard-lever is thrown down, and as the edge of the arm T is at that time above a tooth ofthe ratchet it will act upon it and turn the magazine so as to bring the next chamber forward. Another pin, X, acts upon the top of the lug V when the guard-lever is brought back again, and thus throws the arm T up above the next notch in the ratchet in readiness for the next movement.

After the plunger has forced a cartridge from the magazine into the barrel of the gun it is lockedinto place and prevented from be ing forced backward by the discharge of the shell by means of the block Y, which is caused to drop behind the plunger in a groove in the frame. This block has an arm, Z, projecting back and turning' on a pin, a, within the frame B, so that the block moves about this as a pivot in rising and falling. The groove into which it falls is formed on a curve having the same radius, so that the block, when seated in the groove, rests against the rear shoulders, and the frame thus receives the whole recoil. A notch, b, is out in a plate, d, in the opposite side ofthe block, and by the action ofthe pin P in this notch, just at the moment when the guardlever and its arm O begin or finish the movement of opening or closing, this pin will raise or depress the block. The guardlever, with its arms and pins, actuates all the parts, iirst drawing' back the plunger, then leaving it until the magazine has been rotated, after which it forces the plunger forward and leaves it again While the locking-block Y is The guard'lever serves as a trigger-guard, as in many other forms of breech-loaders, and has its rear portion formed into an elongated loop to receive the fingers of the hand and form a convenient method of operating. A spring-latch, m, serves to lock it in place when closed, and it is easily-unlatched by a simple pressure ofthe fingers.

It will be seen that all the movements necessary to charge and discharge the arm are positive, and none of them depend upon any spring except the hammer and trigger, which are actuated in a manner similar to those in other arms. The arm consists of very few simple and strong parts, which are easily dismounted ernassembled.777477 e Y Y Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The plunger J, with its retractor K, fitte to carry the cartridge from the magazine D into the barrel and withdraw the 4empty shell, as shown, in combination with the slotted plate Q, arin O of the guard-lever, and the pin P, whereby the plunger is caused to reciprocate, substantially as herein described.

2. The reciprocating plunger J, moving for-l ward and back through the chambered rotary magazine D, and the locking-block Y, in combina-tion with the notched plate d and the arm O of the guard-lever, with its pin P, whereby the block is drawn down after theplungerhas moved forward and elevated to allow it'to be drawn back, substantially as herein described.

3. The rotating chalnbered magazine D, turning within the case C, said case having an interior groove at its rear end, whereby the flanges of' the shells are received and the cartridges kept in place, substantially as herein described.

4. The guard-lever, with its projecting arm and pins, in combination with the lockingblock, the lever` for rotating the magazine, and the plunger J, whereby the movements of all the parts are effected by the guard-lever, and the plunger is entirely released from the action of the lever while the other movements are being completed, substantially as herein described.

5. The rotary chambered magazine D, with its ratchet S, in combina-tion with the lever T, having cam-shaped lugs V, and the Iarm O of the guard-lever, having pins Wand X, where' by the lever T is moved up and down` andthe magazine rotated independent of the action of the hammer, substantially as herein described. 'In witness whereof' vI have hereunto set my hand.

ALFRED SWINGLE.

Witnesses:

S. H. NoURsE, FRANK A. BROOKS.

IOO

IIO 

